5 Interesting Facts About Pumas

These beautiful cats grow to about 2.7 metres long from head to tail, making them the second largest cat in the Americas, behind the jaguar. Males are much larger than females.

Pumas are very athletic and can run at 80 kph and are able to jump up to 6 metres in one go. They are excellent tree climbers and can swim. They also have excellent night vision which helps them to hunt their prey. They ambush their prey by sneaking up on them from behind and biting down on their necks with their powerful jaws. They usually hunt large prey such as deer, elk, moose and livestock. They hide their prey and can take a few days to eat it. They also hunt rabbits, capybaras, squirrels and other small mammals and even insects.

Pumas have more names than any other animal in the world, with up to 40 different names in English, including cougar, mountain lion, panther and catamount.

They live by themselves in large territories and only come together at breeding time. The female gives birth to 1-6 cubs at a time and bring them up by themselves.

Besides humans, pumas have the largest range of any land mammal in the Americas and can be found from Canada down to the southern Andes.

I hope that you found these facts interesting and learned something new.

Are there any other interesting facts that you would like to share about pumas?